Singapore’s Speaker of Parliament Palmer resigns after affair |

Singapore ’s Speaker of Parliament Michael Palmer has resigned and will leave the ruling People’s Action Party today after admitting to an extramarital affair. Palmer, 44, said he made a “grave mistake” of improper conduct after being involved in a relationship with a member of a government agency who worked in a district he used to represent. His resignation was accepted by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who said that lawmakers must uphold the “highest standards of personal conduct.” The exit leaves a Parliament seat vacant and will trigger a by-election that may be a test of support for Lee’s government as it contends with the developed world’s second-highest inflation, voter discontent with immigration policies and a slowing economy. The affair is the latest high-profile scandal in the city following the prosecution of former heads of the anti-drug agency and Civil Def...